Over the past several decades, technology has gradually made its way further and further into our lives. It has come to the point where this advanced machinery has begun to take over everyday rituals such as going grocery shopping, cleaning and even talking to one another. Despite the downfall of growing technology, there are also many benefits, for instance, in school. With power points, Elmo’s, I-pads, and interactive systems, students and teachers from around the globe are finding ways to incorporate technology into their education. In our Education class this semester, we were introduced to some tools such as Evernote, Web Clipper and Zotero. Before this, in high school, I had only really used Google Docs. The only things that I was pinning from websites were cute craft ideas from Pinterest. However, once I began to use these new programs, I found that they could be quite helpful when clipping articles and creating notes. Although they came in handy at times, I feel as though I will most likely not use them in the future.
Like anyone else’s first semester in college, I faced a fair amount of challenges and obstacles. Looking back over the course of these past few weeks, I would have to say that my most consistent challenge was my biology class. Going into it, I was excited and confident about the course because I had taken Bio AP in high school. So, it was pretty much just a repeat of the class. After the first couple of weeks however, I was proved wrong. This course was much more in depth with its information, terms and definitions. I found that no matter how long I studied for a test and despite how well I understood the material, I still did not perform well. This was frustrating, but also a wake-up call that I needed to adjust to this course, because it definitely was not going to adjust for me. I tested out different strategies in class until I found one that suited me. Instead of writing down the entire power point in class and scrambling to get down every word without getting a chance to listen to the professor, I began to write the power points after class. During class I would simply fill in the blanks of the power point and later I would copy these notes into my notebook. I found that although this was the more difficult of strategies, it seemed to benefit me and allowed me to focus more in class. Ultimately, my test and note taking methods have begun to improve but to my luck the course is now just ending. However, I will take this knowledge and use it in other future lectures.
Throughout the semester, my knowledge and understanding of Evernote and Evernote Web Clipper grew. It helped me to stay organized, to arrange my information in one area and it allowed me to have easy access to my notes. I used Evernote to write my chapter summaries for A Hope in the Unseen and this was definitely a help because at any time I can go back and review them. I saved all of these summaries under a note. Evernote Web Clipper also came in handy when I needed to save specific sections of an online article, newspaper or report. These clips would then be placed in a note in Evernote where I would add the links to these cites as well. Evernote was beneficial when it came to connecting my classmates, professor and I. Throughout the semester, we were able to share articles of interest with the rest of the class, simply by posting it under out class note. This allowed us to stay updated with recent events, informed about assignments and it also helped us to learn from one another. I used Evernote the most during our class projects. It served as a data base, an organizer and a notepad. Overall, it was quite helpful in the classroom.
In my senior year of high school, I must admit that I was guilty of being a surface learner. Like any other senior, I was ready to get out and leave behind those days of asking to go to the bathroom, filling out packets of work and reading articles just to fill time. I would skim read by just picking out the important key words and get by by the minimum. I grew disinterested and began to fall into the habit of not putting forth my bet effort. However, upon coming to college, I have re-adapted my settings. When reading an article or a book, I make sure that I thoroughly read it, understand it and can explain what I just read. I have grown into a deep learner, but still have much to improve. Other strategies that I have adopted is studying for tests at least three days in advance. Typically in high school, I would study two days before and sometimes even the night before a test. I knew that this strategy would not fly well in college. In high school, studying is a matter of hours. In college...it is a matter of days. My LRKB contributed a little to this because it helped me to get organized and in when studying for a test, organization is crucial. It also proved to be helpful when I read articles because it enabled me clip certain passages and quotes. Overall, however, I would have to say that my own motivation and focus were the tools that helped me to become the deeper learner I am today.
Overall, I found Evernote and a few other tools that were introduced to us to be quite beneficial in the classroom. Personally, however, I feel as though I will not use them in my other future classes unless I need to clip a certain part of an article or online website. These tools did however make me realize that when used in the right way, technology can be very convenient and applicable in a classroom. They show us that there are other, different methods of learning that can be interactive, engaging and useful all at the same time. At first, I was intimidated and unsure of how to manipulate these programs, but once I began to use them more often, it became a habit. It was a good experience to be introduced to a new, valuable use of technology.
Like anyone else’s first semester in college, I faced a fair amount of challenges and obstacles. Looking back over the course of these past few weeks, I would have to say that my most consistent challenge was my biology class. Going into it, I was excited and confident about the course because I had taken Bio AP in high school. So, it was pretty much just a repeat of the class. After the first couple of weeks however, I was proved wrong. This course was much more in depth with its information, terms and definitions. I found that no matter how long I studied for a test and despite how well I understood the material, I still did not perform well. This was frustrating, but also a wake-up call that I needed to adjust to this course, because it definitely was not going to adjust for me. I tested out different strategies in class until I found one that suited me. Instead of writing down the entire power point in class and scrambling to get down every word without getting a chance to listen to the professor, I began to write the power points after class. During class I would simply fill in the blanks of the power point and later I would copy these notes into my notebook. I found that although this was the more difficult of strategies, it seemed to benefit me and allowed me to focus more in class. Ultimately, my test and note taking methods have begun to improve but to my luck the course is now just ending. However, I will take this knowledge and use it in other future lectures.Throughout the semester, my knowledge and understanding of Evernote and Evernote Web Clipper grew. It helped me to stay organized, to arrange my information in one area and it allowed me to have easy access to my notes. I used Evernote to write my chapter summaries for A Hope in the Unseen and this was definitely a help because at any time I can go back and review them. I saved all of these summaries under a note. Evernote Web Clipper also came in handy when I needed to save specific sections of an online article, newspaper or report. These clips would then be placed in a note in Evernote where I would add the links to these cites as well. Evernote was beneficial when it came to connecting my classmates, professor and I. Throughout the semester, we were able to share articles of interest with the rest of the class, simply by posting it under out class note. This allowed us to stay updated with recent events, informed about assignments and it also helped us to learn from one another. I used Evernote the most during our class projects. It served as a data base, an organizer and a notepad. Overall, it was quite helpful in the classroom.
In my senior year of high school, I must admit that I was guilty of being a surface learner. Like any other senior, I was ready to get out and leave behind those days of asking to go to the bathroom, filling out packets of work and reading articles just to fill time. I would skim read by just picking out the important key words and get by by the minimum. I grew disinterested and began to fall into the habit of not putting forth my bet effort. However, upon coming to college, I have re-adapted my settings. When reading an article or a book, I make sure that I thoroughly read it, understand it and can explain what I just read. I have grown into a deep learner, but still have much to improve. Other strategies that I have adopted is studying for tests at least three days in advance. Typically in high school, I would study two days before and sometimes even the night before a test. I knew that this strategy would not fly well in college. In high school, studying is a matter of hours. In college...it is a matter of days. My LRKB contributed a little to this because it helped me to get organized and in when studying for a test, organization is crucial. It also proved to be helpful when I read articles because it enabled me clip certain passages and quotes. Overall, however, I would have to say that my own motivation and focus were the tools that helped me to become the deeper learner I am today.
Overall, I found Evernote and a few other tools that were introduced to us to be quite beneficial in the classroom. Personally, however, I feel as though I will not use them in my other future classes unless I need to clip a certain part of an article or online website. These tools did however make me realize that when used in the right way, technology can be very convenient and applicable in a classroom. They show us that there are other, different methods of learning that can be interactive, engaging and useful all at the same time. At first, I was intimidated and unsure of how to manipulate these programs, but once I began to use them more often, it became a habit. It was a good experience to be introduced to a new, valuable use of technology.